Morning journal and courier., 1887-07-07
COFFEE TELLS HIS STORY.

Statements And Denounees the Au-
 thorItfes-He Says He Will Clear Him.
 self When On Trial-The Grand Jury
 Takes Testimony And Will Resume
 This Morning Warrants Ready For
 Two More Persons-One of Them a
 wOman-Portfens ofEvidence Clean.
 ed.
 Peter Coffee, arrested Tuesday night on a charge of murdering Charles I. Way. station agent at Stony Creek, on May 10 last, was brought before the grant, jury in this city yesterday afternoon. The prisoner was brought down from the jail at two o'clock and taken into the grand jury room and heard all of the testimony given.
 There were present about the rooms of the Criminal court house thirty seven witnesses by actual count who had been summoned to testify to the jury on the case The first person called into the jury room was Engi- neer Eager of the freight train which ran over Ways body. His testimony was to the effect that in his opinion the body, which he saw distinctly before it was struck, was that of either dead or an unconscious man. Medical Examiner Moses c. White testified to the examination made of the remains. He said that Way was strangled to death without doubt. Dr. Gaylord told the jury that he also examined Ways body and was satisfied that he met his death by strangulation. Uncle Matt Howard, well known resident of Stony Creek, was present, as was his son. The former testified that he is positive that he saw Way with a large sum of money on the day of the murder. He ap- peared in very cheerful mood. Engineer Eager's fireman. and the rest of the train hands gave testimony about the picking up of the remains and the location of the body when found. It had been dragged for some distance along the tracks, said one of the train hands. Eleven witnesses were exam ined yesterday and the examination will be resumed to-day.
 At o'clock the grand jury adjourned. The prisoner was brought out and placed in the prisoners pen. A COURIER reporter got mixed in with the grand jurors when they creted himself behind the door not five feet from the place where Coffee was confined. Sheriff Gates slammed the door to and the scribe made the best of his opportunity. Ap- preaching the iron grating call for MT. Coffee was announced by a bronze-faced man of medium height bearing visible signs of heavy dissipation. He cursed and he was receiving, as he put it, wrongly. He appeared to be laboring under great nervous excitement and referred to Detective Bates in many uncomplimentary terms unfit for publication. He at first refused to talk about the case at all, but broke in suddenly and asked his questioner if he thought he could get enough to eat at the jail.
 ''That's all care about" said he, Eff they will only give me plenty of grub"
 q defy Stony Creek and all the people in the - town to make me out a murderer" he continued. ''I can tell something that will raise the very -. But l won't. I'll not talk at all."
 Further coaxing brought him to the grating again and he seemed to have struck more talkative mood as the name of Conductor Mason was mentioned. 'He's good fel- low," he said, "and he ain't got anything to do with this case"
 Further querying elicited the following: tsThey say that I bragged around that I would tell just how Way met his death for S1 ,OOO. Well, it is all lie. I met young Russell in the New Haven depot one night after the finding of the body and he was tell ing how he knew something about the man. ner in which Way was killed. I was in lq uor, and not to be outdone by him said that for $1 ,000 I'd tell just how he met his death. said it in half drunken stupor, not know ing or meaning what I said. If the Presi- dent had been killed at Washington I would have made the same statement in all proba- bility."
 from New Haven and couldn't have secreted it."
 ''How about the leaving of the package of sugar in the depot the night of the murder?"
 "What murders Charlie Way wasn't mur- dered; he committed suicide" was the sharp rejoinder. 'fI can tell you about the sugar package. went down to the store kept by MT. Payne and bought it and had got as far as the depot when remembered that had intended to get me clay pipe and some to- bacco and had forgotten to do so. entered the depot and asked Way if could leave the sugar: He replied in very gruf manner that could and told me to chuck it down anywhere. Without talk the door. Returning towards the depot I met some chums and sitting on the de- pot platform we drank bottle of whiskey. and had some more whiskey. I remember hearing loud and angry voices inside the de- pot as I went by. After getting home I decided to go to Madison and took Mason's ! train to Guilford.
 ''There's Mrs. Fleming living near the depot who told me that she heard team driven rapidly away from the depot and in the direction of Branford after 10 o'clock. l She was sure it was a double team" |
 It was learned from Detective Bates yes terday that there was woman ln the case. It was also learned from another source that on the night of the murder the sound of loud l and angry conversation was heard coming
 
 o'clock. All was dark in the vicinity and | this witness thought the circumstances pe- culiar at the time. He feels sure he heard | woman's voice while the conversation was going on. !
 Two more warrants are soon to be issued | nerhaps as soon as the testimony is all taken ! in Coffee's case. One of these warrants will ! be served on a woman it is learned from good authority. !
 There will be two young women examined | to-day named Maggie Conboy and Mary Tul- l Iy. Who these girls are or what their testi | mony will be could not be learned. It was | hinted that the names were fictitious ones | and that they had been two of the alleged | frequent visitors to Coffee's house in com | pany with Mason and Way.
 Coffee told many facts already published | about his trip to Guilford and went on to | 1eny all the statements published which go to | make up the chain of circumstantial evidence | against him.
 Among the witnesses to be examined to-day | Ire Elisha Tryon, Theodore Hurd, George | dannifn, Nathaniel Hurd, Nathaniel Bishop, l William Page, Mrs. G. Palmer, E. L. Strong, l Maggie Conboy, Mary Fully, MT: Bates. Detective Bates is a reporter for the New Il of Pinkerton's men and has done ome exceedingly clever work for the New York and New England road during Presi- lent Clark's connection with that system. The detective says the case is going to be one # the most remarkable ever tried. There re two other persons marked, he says, and they attempt to leave they will be arrested, or they are constantly being shadowed.
 Firecrackers and Toy Pistols.
 City Attorney Hugh Daley says that in jew of the 300 fires caused on the Fourth by that the sale of both the fire racker and the toy pistol should be forbid len by law in all the States. In this opinion nany other citizens heartily coincide, having xpressed decided opinion of like ilk on he subject.
 IN THE SECOND DEGREE. The Grand Jury Will Probably Find a True Bill Against William Cisco ! For Causing the Death of Harriet | Thompson Damaging Testimony Given the JurY-N0 Decision Yet.
 The grand jury met yesterday morning and in regard to indictment for mur- CT asked for by the State attorney against